


The Path to Heartbreak

by CaptainTarthister



Series: The Lannisters Are Coming [50]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst, But they still get it on, College, F/M, Goodbye, Growing Up, Married Couple, Older Characters, Sexual Content, This series will never be written in order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:03:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8237051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainTarthister/pseuds/CaptainTarthister
Summary: Jaime and Brienne go on a road trip with their sons before they leave for college. Brienne has a hard time letting go while Jaime acts as if everything is normal. Apologies for the bad summary!





	1. Strikes

Brienne was awake so early that she was able to watch the first rays of sunlight spread across the hotel suite. Sleeping soundly beside her, a soft snore burring his whispered breathing, was Jaime. 

In his fifties, Jaime’s golden hair was dominated by gray, the smooth planes of his still-beautiful face slowly being overtaken by the slightest of lines, as if time was hesitant about marking such a man. The beard he was growing again was now silver. Despite the years beginning to make their mark on him, his emerald eyes still had that mischievous sparkle, his grin still cocky and smug. Brienne glanced at his hand under her shirt, resting atop her breast. She wore no bottoms--she hadn't for a long time in bed, because he sometimes slept with his hand cupping her cunt. When she wore a sleeping shift, he dragged it to her stomach and pushed his fingers deep inside, fucking her so slowly that when she came she was too wrung out from the tension and anticipation. Her husband still liked to fuck her first thing in the morning and was cranky for the rest of the day if he didn’t. But their nights were no longer repeats of this morning indulgence. Sometimes, yes, though she wouldn’t say it occurred rarely. They discovered that simply sleeping at night was good and got them rested for when they wrestled in the sheets at sunrise.

If this were one of those mornings when she woke up first, she would turn to Jaime and rouse him awake with soft, playful kisses, her hands roaming his chest and stroking his cock. Make her way down his body until her breath stirred the silver curls below his navel and kiss the leaking tip of his cock just as his eyes opened, the bleariness quickly overtaken by lust at the sight of her like this. Not this morning. Probably not for several mornings as she wondered when her broken heart would mend and feel whole again.

She remained lying beside him, however. Breathing and wondering how she was going to survive this day and afterward. This was something parents went through but she was convinced it was not the same for all. She only had to look at themselves. Proud as she was that Drew and Ty got into the first colleges of their choice, a sadness had settled in her heart since the day the boys made their choice. Being a parent was teaching your children all they could possibly need so they were ready to strike out on their own when the time came. She forgot to prepare herself for when that day.

Jaime handled it much better. He proposed a family road trip for when they brought their sons to school—Ty to Winterfell University on a hockey scholarship and majoring in Sociology, Drew to Hightower University to study History. Winterfell was a three-day drive, their first stop, and Oldtown was two days from there. From Oldtown, Jaime and Brienne would drive another two days back to King’s Landing. It was a good idea. Their sons were adults now but Brienne rebelled at the idea of just packing them off to an airplane and leaving them to figure out how to get to school from the airport. The road trip also meant more time together, short as it was. Drew and Ty were excited, of course. Father and sons then mapped out their route, arguing happily over things to see and do. 

Jaime began to stir and Brienne looked at him then. A sigh drifted from his lips as he snuggled close to her, his hand squeezing her breast and making her catch her breath. His lips brushed her temple, her ear, her cheek as he caressed her, his cock nudging at her bare hip. Despite feeling low, there was no stopping the tingle going up her spine, the sparks being set off in her with his every touch. Her nipples hardened and Jaime pinched one, drawing a sharp breath from her.

“Wife,” he whispered just before she gave him her mouth. She turned to him, an arm wrapping around his trim waist and her leg settling on his hip. They kissed slowly, as if memorizing the curves and corners of each other’s mouths, tasting a little before swooping in deep and hungrily. Jaime pulled up her tank top, baring her back, her breasts, moving so she was on her back and he could kiss and gently nibble on her tight nipples. She closed her eyes, surrendering to the escape his kisses, his touch— _Jaime_ —was unknowingly offering to her. Oh, how she wished she were more like her husband, taking things in stride, living as if they were just dropping off their babies to daycare and picking them up after a few hours. Jaime was the steadfast one, refusing to be felled by anything close to sentimentality or sappiness. Brienne couldn’t resent him for acting as if nothing life-changing was happening in a few hours. He wouldn’t be the man she knew and loved if he was. And it was a good thing. If they were both as broken as she was, who would hold the other, mend? 

He moved down her body, his wet kisses and the rustle of his clothes and what little she wore, the sheets, a rough hush in the morning. As his wide shoulders brushed her hipbones, she spread her legs. 

She opened her eyes then to see Jaime’s tongue flicking out as he approached her cunt. It was still pink though the flesh not as supple, the dirty-blond pubic hairs now mixed with something paler. But he groaned loudly and buried his tongue between her folds, sucked and kissed her with the abandon of one either denied for so long or the only one privileged to have such a feast. Her hands climbed to her breasts, playing with them, for once forgetting they were not as firm. All she could think about was the great throbbing in her body that only Jaime could ease, Jaime eating her out.

“Jaime, Jaime, Jaime,” she moaned desperately, pinching her nipples.

“Yes,” he growled, pausing briefly to speak. “Touch yourself. Just like that. Make yourself wetter, wife.” Then he returned his mouth and tongue on her cunt, inside her cunt.  
Though the room was awashed with the golden light of the sun, Brienne’s vision was beginning to dim as Jaime continued fucking her with his tongue. He made hungry, longing sounds, widening her legs even more. He brought her to the brink before he suddenly pushed up on his knees. A protest shaped her lips, betrayal on her face because she needed this, him, more than she had in recent months. She was desperate to forget and would do all she could to delay. But Jaime turned on his side, yanking off his t-shirt and pajamas. Brienne sat up too and pulled off her tank top. His smile was strained, almost painful, and she could see how impossibly hard he was, a marvel given his age. She went to him and he helped her position herself astride his hips. 

Weak from the sensual tumult he had spun her to, Brienne could only hold on to his shoulders and throw her gasps and cries to the ceiling as he pumped up into her. His cock was so hard, so big it felt like a colossus jammed in her too-tight opening, raring to tear into her. She sobbed as he slammed hard up inside, but not from pain. She hadn’t expected to feel _this good_ , didn’t deserve it. Her hear would be splintered just mere hours from now. She should at least start the process. No, she couldn’t, she couldn’t feel this good. _It wasn’t right._ She dragged her nails across Jaime’s back and he grunted, his thrusts speeding up, nearly jostling her if not for their tight hold.  
This wasn’t right but she couldn’t tell him to stop. 

_Oh, gods. She didn’t want to._

His hands on her hips, her ass, would be leaving bruises but she couldn’t feel any more pain, she had been hurting for months. Tears flowed from her cheeks as her body became a mass of violent tremors, the promise of a hard orgasm just seconds away. Whimpering, she started moving, tightening around Jaime’s cock and being flung to another level of intense sensations. As she cried out, Jaime growled against her throat and spilled inside her.

“Gods,” he gasped, kissing the mad pulse beneath her throat before collapsing heavily on the bed, still holding her. She sighed heavily, wincing at her breasts crushed against his hard chest but she didn’t get off him. Their bodies heaved and struggled for breath. 

Realizing she was making it difficult for Jaime to breathe with her hard bulk, Brienne started to roll away. He made a whine of protest and held her fast. “Wife, come on. We can hold each other for a while, can’t we?”

Before Brienne could answer, someone knocked on the door. “Mom? Dad? Drew and I are off to breakfast. You ready?”

As Jaime groaned softly, Brienne blushed and quickly took advantage of his slackened grip by removing herself. She rubbed the tears from her eyes. Nude, she covered her breasts with her hands as she stomped around the room looking for a robe. She found it draped on the chair and quickly put it on. As she did, Ty continued to knock. “Are you guys awake or should I come back—“

Jaime, still in bed and frowning at his wife getting dressed, answered. “Yeah, come back—“

Brienne threw him a look and he stared back, startled at the expression on her face. She tossed him his robe, waited for him to start putting it on then padded to the door. 

“Hold on, Ty,” she called out. Before opening it, she glanced at Jaime again. He was shaking his head and putting on the robe with great reluctance. When it was belted, she opened the door.

“Mom,” Ty greeted her. With thick, pale blond hair, bright blue eyes and freckles across his nose, he got his mother’s features, as well as her height. He was six-foot-five. But his face was all Jaime, chiseled and elegant. Brienne smoothed her hair and hoped she didn’t look like she had just been fucking his father. 

“You’re off to breakfast?” She asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound too high. She hoped he thought that her hot face was due to hormones. She was forty-nine and going through menopause. 

“Yeah, we’re starving. And we still have to drive Drew,” Ty told her, clearing his throat and flushing. She nodded, remembering with a catch in her heart. 

“Give your Dad and I five minutes? Let’s have breakfast as a family, okay?” Brienne asked him, smiling gently. Her eyes glittered but not from joy. Their last breakfast with their boys. The next time they would all be together would be Sevenfest, months away from now. And that was if Drew and Ty didn’t get themselves girlfriends inviting them to meet families, or going on a trip with their friends. She widened her smile. It hurt her cheeks.

Ty smiled back. “No problem, Mom. Drew's still getting dressed. We’ll wait for you in the restaurant.”

Brienne kissed him on the cheek and watched him go to the room he shared with his brother. When she closed the door, she was faced with a Jaime looking both annoyed and confused.

“What was that about?” He asked, crossing his arms. "Let's go back to bed and fuck again. That was too quick."

“Husband, it’s Drew’s last day with us,” she told him, her throat tightening at that painful fact. “We—we have to get moving.  
”  
She went to him, pressed a consoling kiss on his firm lips. When she stepped back, Jaime was looking at her curiously.

“I understand about starting early,” he said slowly, licking his lips. “But we’re less than an hour away from the school, Brienne. There’s no need to rush.” 

Gods, he really had to spell out how soon they would be leaving their baby boy behind, did he? Brienne rifled her head for a tactic. Adopting a light, teasing tone, she said, “How about the fact that your giant sons are starving? There’s an impressive buffet downstairs but at the rate your sons eat, I doubt if there would be any left for us. And we both know how cross you get when you don’t have breakfast.”

It worked because Jaime smirked. His eyes raked hotly from the top of her mussed hair to the tips of her toes. “It’s not my not having breakfast that makes me grouchy.”  
Despite how she was feeling, Brienne turned a vivid pink. “Uh, well, then what else would keep us here?” 

She spoke breathlessly because Jaime was untying the belt of her robe. He licked her throat as he pushed the robe off her shoulders. “It was satisfactory but rushed, wife,” he teased her, thumbing her nipples and looking at her cunt hungrily. Her thighs were stained with his semen. Grinning, his finger easily found her clit but she jumped and shook her head. She put a restraining hand on his shoulder and looked in his eyes.

“Jaime, please? Not now.” 

He sighed, frustration clearly on his face but he nodded. “I understand. You’re right. It’s our last time with Drew.” His voice sounded like pebbles were stuck in his throat. “For now.”

“It will be three months before we see him again, husband.” She said, her voice thick. “Three months before we see our sons again.”

“You make it sound as if it’s three years,” he said, cupping her cheek and urging her to look at him. His facial expression was calm, as if they were talking about whether to have waffles or pancakes for breakfast. “Ease up, Brienne. There’s Wype. They promised to chat with us every weekend.”

“You and I know that’s only going to last for two weeks. If we’re lucky.”

This was as far as Brienne would go to admit how she was really feeling. Once again feeling her eyes beginning to get misty, she kissed Jaime quickly on the lips and turned away. Her legs were unsteady and it was with relief when she reached the bathroom.

As soon as she switched the shower on, she let out the sobs trapped in her chest.

Jaime, meanwhile, was sitting at the foot of their bed, slouched and huddled in his robe. He was staring out of the window. The sky was blue and cloudless. But he could easily see the tall, gray structures of the University of Winterfell. Less than an hour’s drive away, he thought. 

He wondered who would be most upset should he let the air out of the tires of their car.


	2. Goodbye Part 1

Since the day the college acceptance letters started coming, Jaime was hit with memories of his sons from when they were small, helpless babies to the decent men they were turning out to be.

He remembered feeling weak in the knees in the ob-gyn’s office after being told they were having twins. Twins have always run in the Lannister family—he was a twin himself. That increased the chances of Brienne conceiving a set but neither of them expected to get two babies right away. Though light in the head and the his wife’s and the doctor’s voice distant, slow drones as if in a dream, there was a warmth in his heart, as if the sun resided right there. Twins. He was going to be a father to two children. From the bed where Brienne was sitting up, her vivid blue eyes caught his wondrous gaze. A smile lit up her face and slowly, the feeling returned to his legs. The dull droning sound of voices cleared until he was hearing normally. 

Drew and Ty were born, a few days late yet healthy and plump. Before Brienne was pregnant, Jaime thought that she was the only person he could love so much. Any children with her would be loved by him but that was inevitable. He had not expected to be staggered by the force of the overwhelming love he felt for the boys as he looked at them through the glass in the nursery. It was at that moment that he knew, no matter what happened, what they did, he would love and protect them.

Jaime and Brienne were anxious after bringing them home from the hospital. On their nighsttand was a tall stack of baby and child care books, religiously highlighted and marked with color-assigned stickies. The apartment had been baby-proofed and every surface was pristine. Yet, when Ty started crying upon waking up, the new parents had looked at each other in confusion. What to do? How do they know what he needed? The questions had yet to truly sink when Drew, awakened by his brother’s cries, started crying too. 

The panic lasted for maybe a minute, maybe more. They snapped out of it at the same time, each reaching for a baby. Dry nappies, check. Body and room temperature okay. Guided by instinct, Ty started rubbing his face against Brienne’s breasts, his cries getting louder. Drew was doing the same with Jaime, his howls louder, as if he knew that it was the wrong person holding him. What followed was probably the fastest Jaime undressed Brienne. For the first time, no blush warmed her cheeks as she stood nude from the waist up, cradling her son. They hurried to bed but moving carefully. Since there was no milk in bottles yet, she would have to feed the twins at the same time.

It took some maneuvering and more panicky hissing and gasping from the new parents as they figured out how she would hold each baby to her breasts and feed them comfortably. Brienne leaned back, worry etched on her face still that Jaime had to brush a palm on her cheek to reassure her. His heart beat fast too. As they looked at each other, a relieved smile broke across Brienne’s face and she looked down.  
It was a given that the sight of his wife, nude or not, would always make Jaime light in the head, awed, overwhelmed and hard at the same time. Seeing their sons suckling from her breasts, seeing them so dependent on a part of her body that for him had only been for his pleasure at that point, had moved something in Jaime. His eyes got a little misty and there was a new, sharp clench in his heart. Brienne had always been generous. She gave without question. Jaime only realized how big a heart she had, just how giving she really was, at that moment. He was so _moved_ he barely swallowed a sob. 

The babies they would have, the sight of her feeding them, letting them take what they needed from her, would always move him.  
Right now, his throat was tight with emotion. They stood in front of Wolf Hall, Drew’s dorm building. All around them were either parents hugging their children tight with no intent of letting go or old friends high-fiving and ribbing at each other as they headed back to their old rooms. 

Jaime watched as Brienne put her arms around Drew. He hugged his mother back. Powerfully-built, handsome and charming, Andrew Galladon Lannister had all the makings of a ladies’ man. He was friendly and confident, and it was often said he was more like Jaime in this aspect. But Jaime knew he was a lot more like Brienne. 

Ty was quiet and tend to keep to himself but among close friends and family, he showed the bluntness and sarcastic wit that was much like his father’s. Drew was more tactful and a people pleaser, sometimes to a fault. Just like his mother, Jaime thought fondly as he approached the pair. 

Brienne stepped away but kept her hands on his shoulders, rubbing him up and down the arms with uncharacteristic briskness. Her eyes were the colour of the ocean under the sun. Her reddening nose was not due to allergy at all. “I won’t ask you to take care of yourself,” she told him, biting her lip. “Because I know you will. But I’ll still worry.” 

“I’ll make sure you don’t have much to worry about, Mom, I promise.” This time, it was Drew who pulled her for a hug. Brienne this time let out a sob. They laughed. Then she kissed him on the cheek and pulled away. 

“I love you,” she whispered as Jaime caught her by the hand and squeezed it. She looked at him gratefully. 

Still holding her, Jaime held out his other arm to Drew. “Get over here and hug your old man.”

“Dad,” Drew hugged him. It was brief but tight. Jaime would never get used to the fact that the baby he held for the first time with great fear was not only bigger and stronger. He was now a man. 

“Remember you only have to call us.” Jaime said, patting him on the back. His voice sounded strained so he started letting go.

“And anytime you miss some home cooking, you know that Jon and Sansa would love to have you,” Brienne added. Jon was now the dean of Winterfell University, and Sansa a director of a political think tank based in the north. They had three children, sixteen-year-old Trysta, twelve-year-old Kaela and ten-year-old Aegon. 

“I’ll make sure, Mom.” He said with a smile. Looking past their broad shoulders, he nodded. “Hey, no goodbye from you, brother?”  
“Depends,” Ty retorted but he was grinning. 

The twins hugged each other. It was brief but it was clear that they would miss the other a great deal. This was the first time they would be separated. It would be better if they were in the same school so they could look out for each other. But all their lives, they were the Lannister twins. Ty was as tall as Drew but significantly leaner though strong as well. Despite this, people would still mix them up. College was the first opportunity when they could really carve out their own identity. 

The brother grinned at each other. They were a little away from their parents but they still had to lower their voices.

“Who’s taking this hard, you think?” Drew asked.

“Of course it’s Dad,” Ty replied, rolling his eyes. “I mean sure, it looks like Mom’s gonna turn on the waterworks really soon but you know Dad. Dad cries over cat commercials. When it’s cold, he puts Brightroar’s bed by the fireplace so he doesn’t get cold. And also throws in a blanket.”

Drew crossed his arms. “You sound really sure.”

Ty crossed his arms too. “Care to make a bet?”

“Twenty silver stags says Mom will not only cry before you leave the campus. Dad is also going to kiss her and they’re going to forget you’re there.”

“Ew. What the hell did I do for you to think I should be punished like that?” They grimaced then grinned. The twins were well aware of just how passionate their parents were. The walls weren’t the thickest back home, not to mention that many times they’d walked into a room with Jaime’s hand under Brienne’s shirt. 

“You know that’s gonna happen. Like, it would be more interesting if it doesn’t happen,” he continued. “How’s this. Twenty silver stags says Mom will bawl her eyes out but it’s Dad who’ll need to lie down when we get to the hotel. With a cup of tea. And a plate of biscuits.”  
Drew frowned. “Huh. Chocolate or vanilla?”

Ty snorted. “It’s Dad. It’s chocolate.”

“Sounds boring. Let’s make it thirty silver stags.”

“You’re on.” 

They shook hands. As they did, Drew said, “You know, I think I’m going to miss you, brother.”

Ty grinned. “I know.” 

When Ty returned to his parents, he found them kissing. Brienne’s face was red and streaked with tears and Jaime was kissing her on the cheeks, the lips, murmuring wordless, but soothing sounds. She nodded at rested her chin on his shoulder, and he stroked her back and her hair tenderly.

As children, they groaned and called out their parents for being too affectionate. It was simply not normal for parents to be so blatantly passionate. They were often kissing and touching, and often shared a look that could put the heat of wildfyre to shame. 

It took a while before Ty realized that unlike a lot of parents who yelled or didn’t talk, his parents actually loved and enjoyed being with each other. Jaime liked to tease and Brienne, every now then, could outmaneuver him. Someday, Ty hoped to be as happy with someone as his parents clearly were. It was a rare thing. He hoped it wasn’t that rare, though.

He slowed his steps deliberately until Brienne let out a sigh and straightened up. He reached his parents just as Jaime was tucking an errant pale blond strand behind her ear. Noticing him, they gave him warm but wan smiles.

“Ready?” Jaime asked.

“Sure. Can I drive, though?”

“Be my guest,” Jaime said, giving him the keys. 

They drove for four hours before pulling over at a restaurant for lunch. Brienne was the first to slide out, sitting from the back. She stretched her arms high over her head until she was standing on her tiptoes. 

After bursting into tears in front of Wolf Hall, her sobs had softened to the occasional sniffle. She hated to cry. Having been with Brienne for close to twenty years, Jaime knew that while she appreciated being comforted, she didn’t like to be fussed over. He held her as she cried, feeling his heart breaking too. After the initial bout of tears, she had calmed a bit. From that point, an occasional touch or a kiss was all Jaime gave her. He didn’t fuss with asking her if she was alright because she would kill him. 

But he reached for her hand as soon as she lowered it. Brilliant blues turned to him, still red from crying but no longer as watery. He put a hand on her cheek and she leaned against it, closing her eyes. Then she pressed her lips to his palm before cradling it to her cheek with her hand. 

“You’re handling this much better than I am,” she told him but there was no rebuke in her voice. She was simply stating a fact, understanding and loving him for it. It was in her eyes. 

“Wait until we get to our room,” he said. Joking, he said,“I’m going to need a fluffy pillow and a cup of tea.”

“My dear husband,” she murmured before kissing him. She rested her forehead against his as he continued to hold her close. “Still the strongest man I know.”

They held hands as they followed Ty to the restaurant. It wasn’t a five-dragon place but it was thick with the aroma of warm, home-cooked meals. The Lannisters got a booth at the corner. 

They were clearly starving, based on their order. Jaime and Ty ordered steak and eggs, with fries on the side and apple pie. Brienne opted for a chicken sandwich with a side of salad and apple pie a la mode. 

Despite the very emotional morning, their conversation was easy and filled with laughter and teasing glances and the occasional heated one. Jaime was grateful for many things, chief among them, of course, his relationship with his wife, and then his children. He had read and seen more than enough horror stories of children and parents drifting away come puberty. Many times it was permanent.  
He didn’t have to look far for an example. Myrcella, his twin sister Cersei’s daughter with Robert, was headstrong and rebellious. She and been kicked out of four different schools and was restless. Cersei looked ten years older than she was. Myrcella’s behaviour had also caused tension in the marriage.

At least the other children were stable. Joffrey was thinking of following in his mother’s footsteps, so medical school was his next stop. Tommen wanted to double major in Business and Finance because his uncle Renly hoped to turn over Baratheon Vineyards to him someday. It was pure luck that the young man wanted the same thing.

Margaery and Tyrion’s daughter, Olenna Alerie or simply Lenna, shared her cousin Myrcella’s rebellious streak but channeled it to something healthier. She was a student at Westeros High School for the Arts, and was considered one of its rising stars. Her younger brother, Liam, was quiet, reminding Jaime of Drew. He attended the same school and excelled in the piano and hoped to get into a good music program when he started college. The twins, twelve-year-old Marae and Elyse were still too young to give their parents any reason to worry.

When they resumed driving, it was Brienne behind the wheel, Jaime on the passenger seat and Ty fast asleep in the back. Another long drive was ahead of them. They pulled over once for gas and to use the toilet. Jaime took over from there.

Travel-wise, they were roughing it. Aside from being a Lannister, Jaime was also rich on his own. He didn’t have his own plane like Tywin, lived in a ten-acre property with a renovated farmhouse and a barn instead of a manor. Brienne, while not as rich as his family was, had a very comfortable background too. But it was important to them to live within their means, though they had a lot more than most people. Neither didn’t want liveried servants on foot, or to raise children who didn’t know how to do the most menial of tasks.

Jaime and Brienne splurged on what was practical. The farmhouse had to be renovated to include a huge kitchen and bedrooms for each other six children, as well as a couple of guestrooms. When they travelled they flew coach, inconvenient as it was with their tall, long-legged forms. They splurged on accommodations. 

It wasn’t until around eight in the evening when Jaime pulled up at The Grand Eyrie Hotel. They were tired from driving and being cooped up. Jaime and Brienne had a suite while Ty was in a room right across. 

As Brienne filled out their forms, Jaime put an arm around Ty and squeezed. Ty looked about dead on his feet.

“Man up,” Jaime joked. “There’s still the elevator. You wouldn’t want to be the first Lannister to crack his skull on the ground because he couldn’t stay awake for a few more minutes.”

“Dad,” Ty said, yawning but his blue eyes twinkled. “I’m so going to miss that Lannister crap you spout. Seriously, you’re beginning to sound like grandfather.”

Jaime growled and pretended to bash Ty’s head on the marble-top counter. Ty burst out laughing, too loudly, in the fancy hotel. Brienne shot them a warning look and continued with filling out the forms. Father and son looked at each other and laughed together.  
“How are you holding up?” Jaime asked as they quieted down.

“I don’t know actually,” Ty said after a moment. The uncertainty in his face reminded Jaime of Brienne, along with the lip-chewing. The twins were the taller, blue-eyed versions of their father but they had nuances in expression and mannerism that was their mother’s. 

“I mean, it’s so exciting Dad. College. And you have all these stories about those four years being one of the best in your life. Then there’s how I’ll be studying what I’ve always loved. I’m pretty stoked.” 

Jaime nodded when he hesitated. “Go on.”

“Oldtown is so far away. Then there’s no Drew, Jason and Michael. No Jo and and Allie.” Ty said. “I like being with our family. I have the coolest parents. The best brother. All my life I’ve wanted to go to Hightower University but now that I’m just a few days away from it, I don’t know, I’m suddenly nervous.” 

“I would be surprised if you weren’t,” Jaime said. “It’s the first time you’ll be away from home—from everything, really. You know, I kind of wish your Mom didn’t talk me out of sending you to boarding school. It could be seven hells but it toughens you up, for things like this, you know? But if I had done as your grandfather did, I wouldn’t be around when you needed me. I understand about raising children who have to know how to take on the world but I don’t want them to be tough only because they have to be. It’s not something to be forced. I hope they’re tough because they are.”

“I’m just realizing how I’m really out there on my own, Dad. Drew has Uncle Jon and Aunt Sansa. But me, it’s just really me. I’m still excited but I’m beginning to grasp how terrifying it can be.”

Jaime patted him on the arm. “There’s nothing wrong with being afraid, son.”

His sons will never be too old for a kiss. Jaime had Ty bend a little so he could place a kiss on his forehead. “It’s alright. You may be on your own but your Mom and I are just a phone call away, really. “

Brienne went to them. She was rubbing her eyes, a clear sign of sleepiness. “Can we go, gentlemen?”

A concierge helped them with their bags. Jaime and Brienne hugged Ty good night before they crossed to their room. Jaime tipped the man then sent him off. 

Brienne was slipping off her sweater. She rubbed her sore shoulders. Jaime’s eyes caressed her shoulders before he plucked the room service menu from the nightstand.

“Do you fancy a meal before bed, Mrs. Lannister?” He asked, scanning down the list.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Brienne was wearing a sleeveless, dark blue dress that ended at the knee. She unbuttoned in. “Are you hungry?”

“I could use a hot meal.” Jaime looked up from the list just as the dress fell to Brienne’s ankles. She stretched again. She would be fifty this year but gods above, her body was phenomenal. Her back was freckled and toned, with only the slightest sagging of skin. Her buttocks had never been round and full so they still looked firm. He yanked at the collar of his shirt as she tucked her fingers at the edges of her white panties and pushed them down.

“Well, if you’re eating, I’ll join you. I’ll have a sandwich and a soup,” she said, unaware of the show she was giving him. Fully nude, she left her clothes on the floor and went toe the bathroom.

“I would murder for a cheeseburger,” Jaime admitted, forcing his attention back to the menu. 

“Go order now,’ Brienne told him, peeking out from the door of the bathroom. Suddenly, her cheeks pinked. “Then we can shower while waiting.”

Jaime grinned as he picked up the phone. “Just a shower?”

Sapphire blue eyes flashed at him. “If you don’t order now it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lannister grandchildren, from oldest to youngest:
> 
> Robert and Cersei:  
> Joffrey, 22  
> Tommen and Myrcella, 16
> 
> Jaime and Brienne:  
> Drew and Ty, 18  
> Jason and Michael, 15  
> Joanna, 12  
> Alysanne, 11
> 
> Tyrion and Margaery  
> Lenna, 16  
> Liam, 14  
> Marae and Elyse, 12
> 
> I might have made some errors in the ages. Will fix it as soon as.


	3. The Lannisters

After Jaime made the call, he started taking off his clothes. They joined the pile Brienne had uncharacteristically left on the floor, along with shoes pushed to the sides. 

Steam clouded the bathroom when he entered. He had to wave a hand in front of his face to clear the path a little, spotting Brienne behind the glass partition that held the shower. She was just standing under the jets of water. When Jaime pushed the glass aside, he saw her slumped against the wall, her water-slick shoulders shaking. Soap bubbles were scattered on random portions of her body, looking like melted sugar on glazed skin. 

Without another word, he joined her. His arm circled her waist while the other slipped under her arm and held her by the shoulder. She let out a shaking breath, a sound torn from her throat. Jaime pressed his lips on the arc between her neck and shoulder, kissing her to comfort and soothe, not to arouse. He pressed closer until he was leaning on her. She kept her forehead against the wall, her ragged breathing hitting the thick warm air. He just held her, she let herself be held. They knew there were no words that would comfort now, only by being with each other. 

Tomorrow would be worse. Jaime could see it now. Tonight, they still had Ty. Tomorrow, their sons would be really gone. Four children remained at home but there would be an emptiness from then on. Their rooms would be untouched, and Jaime and Brienne would slip there secretly. She would fix the closet, maybe, sniff and cry over the shirts left behind. Jaime would lie on the bed that still bore the indentation of a form taller and heavier than his. There was no question that each would be strong for the other but when they believed it wouldn’t be noticed, this is what they would do. 

Jaime held Brienne, needing to comfort yet also needing it for himself. Holding her and knowing she was feeling as wretched helped but only a little. Very little. 

“I’m being bloody ridiculous,” she suddenly said, with her head against the wall.

“Stop that. You’re not,” he denied firmly.

She sighed. Because their bodies were practically melded, he moved along with the rippling motion. 

“I thought I was done.”

“Wife, there’s no cut-off to feeling sad about seeing our sons off to college.” He tightened his hold on her.

Brienne suddenly turned. Jaime kept his arms around her, his eyes searching her face for an indication of how else she was feeling. Her eyes were downcast. The shower continued to spread warmth in the room but the rough stutter of her breath was warmer. When she looked up, her blond eyelashes were dotted with tears. She was red from crying.

“Brienne,” he murmured, cupping her face. “Love. Hey, now.” 

She sniffled loudly and threw her arms around him. Jaime held her fast. 

Their wet skins made it hard to hold each other securely but Jaime was determined. She was trembling so hard he would think her ill if not for her warm skin. As she buried more of her sobs on his shoulder, he held her closer, digging his feet against the slippery surface of the floor so they would remain upright. He may still be strong and healthy for his age but his knees were another matter. He pressed Brienne against the wall and she looked at him. 

“We should be happy, right?” She asked him, biting her lip. “They’re in good schools. They’re decent children. Responsible. Kind. Strong. Smart.” 

“We did our job, wife,” he agreed, caressing her cheek.

“Then why does it hurt?”

Jaime had no answer to that. Everything she said were the things he refused to admit. Her eyes looked at him hopefully and he had to turn away, hating at having to disappoint her. So this time, he buried his face against her shoulder. 

She sighed again and held him. Her fingers crept up his wet hair, their motions gently tugging the wavy gold and silver strands near his nape. He closed his eyes at the drugging sensation her actions were giving to him. His lips fell on her shoulder and brushed the damp, flushed skin.

Soon, he found her lips and didn’t let go. 

They kissed deeply, as if searching for something that only the other person had. He tasted the salt of her tears, the water beaded across her lips and the dryness of her tongue. His hands cradled her face while hers drifted to his muscular torso, her touch light, almost tentative. He wanted more. Knew she could give so much more. He ground his hips against her and she gasped against his mouth. She was quick to cup his buttocks and rotate her hips, the soaked curls below their navel getting entangled. An tickling electric burn ignited from there.

“Jaime,” she panted against his tongue. She looked down briefly at his erection then back to his face. “Can we—do you think—here? Still? _At our age?_ ”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her bewildered tone. No matter how many times they had fucked, how many places and in positions that would probably have even the most flexible contortionist wince, Brienne would still wonder if they could actually do it. They haven’t fucked in the shower in a while. He doubted if he could hoist her legs up his waist without the risk of a serious injury but the task at hand was not impossible. She blinked back at him, her eyes no longer as red. Now they were dark with sensual hunger.

He urged her leg up until she could wrap it around his hip. She was slick with water and more. Couldn’t resist rubbing against her. Gods. Nothing as good came close. “What do you think, wife?”

Her answer was vivid pink cheeks, her crooked darling smile. Arms pulling him close. 

They didn’t fuck as roughly as they used to. Jaime didn’t miss it. Now that they had to take care—him, especially being that he had ten years on her—it had led to new discoveries about each other’s bodies and desires. Brienne was reduced to a panting puddle when his lips skimmed across her thighs in almost-kisses. He discovered that her lips brushing the outline of his jaw could undo him. It was exciting times, and they were more intimate than ever. The fucking had not waned but transformed into something deeper, more true in recent years. It was so much more satisfying now. It was mostly limited to bed but there times, such as now, when they stepped out of it and revisited some old places. Age, trust, intimacy, the fact that Brienne was never going to get knocked up anymore—who knew which among them contributed to this higher level of pleasure? What if it was all of them? 

Jaime may have thought about fucking his wife to comfort her when he first entered the bathroom. Now he wanted to fuck her just so to remind her of his love. Love united them in their mutual loneliness, love drove them to comfort each other. Love was just being held, being there. 

Brienne closed her eyes as she clung so tightly that Jaime’s ribs actually hurt. A harsh whimper broke out of her lips as she shuddered against him before collapsing against the wall. The grip of her long leg loosened until it slipped slow and sensuously down the back of his thigh, touched the sensitive hollow behind his knee before it was down. Her hands slipped to rest loosely around his waist. Jaime buried a groan in her mouth, cupping her cheek and by the throat.

Gold spots danced before Jaime’s eyes in the afterglow. He slumped against Brienne, liking that she had softened too. She smiled dazedly at him then reached for the soap from the shelf close by. 

She had him turn around to scrub his back first. The soap moved swiftly and efficiently across his golden skin, before she handed it to him and turned around. He smirked and caressed her with the soap. Kissed her nape and the back of her shoulders as he brought the soap down the indents above her buttocks. “Jaime,” she half-scolded, half moaned as the soap slid down the back of her right thigh. 

He playfully bit the tip of her soapy earlobe before slithering down her body until he was kneeling. As he soaped her legs, his motions once again sensuous, she grunted, “I can do that.”

“You have such long, strong legs,” he marveled, ignoring her weak protest. 

“You’re impossible,” but she didn’t sound resigned, rather amused. “We’re never going to get done and room service will have to leave our food out the door. It will get cold. I’m actually hungry, husband.”

He laughed. His wife was practical as always. He finished soaping her and got up to get clean too.

Finished, they left the shower and pulled on their robes. Cashmere, Jaime discovered, please as he touched the soft fabric. Showered and dressed in clean clothes, he felt a slight lift in his spirits. Brienne too, it seemed, as her eyes were no longer as shadowed, though they were swollen. 

As soft, rhythmic chimes suddenly rang through the room, Brienne announced she was going to check on Ty. Jaime understood but he also thought to add, “Wife, you fuss on the boy too much.”

“I won’t get to fuss over him for a few months,” she pointed out as they went to the door. She kissed him much too quickly on the lips and smiled shyly at the private dining server waiting outside with a trolley. Jaime directed the man where to put it, watching just as Brienne knocked on their son’s door and called out softly to him. 

She returned as Jaime was lifting the lids from the food that kept them warm. “He just wants to sleep,” she told him. “Couldn’t be bothered with dinner or anything, really.”

“We’ve been cooped up in the car all day,” Jaime reminded her. “He might be all cool about his brother but you know how Ty is. He tends to keep things to himself.”

“Yes, I do.” Brienne sat with him at the foot of the bed. As Jaime continued readying the dishes and utensils, she asked, “Do you think he’ll be okay? Oldtown is so far away.”

She didn’t look as worried but she was really concerned. Jaime put an arm around her shoulders.

“He mentioned something like that to me earlier,” he admitted. “I guess it’s just hitting him now how he really is on his own there. You know he gets like this. Not exactly anxious or panicky but worried at the beginning. Ty is the sort who just needs to take things in slowly, observe and take the time. Besides,” he added, squeezing her, “at least he’s still within Westeros. I can not for the life of me imagine how you managed to convince Selywn to let you attend college in Braavos.”

Jaime was glad that going to school across the sea had not entered their sons’ minds, but they had four more back home who might just do that. He didn’t know if he could ever like that idea. 

Brienne nodded. “You’re right. I’m just being a mother hen all over again.”

“I’m worried too. I think I’ll only stop when the boys are home for the Sevenfest.”

“Three months without them,” Brienne murmured. “Can you imagine that?”

“There’s spring break—if they’re not off elsewhere with their friends, and the summer, still,” Jaime kissed her on the temple. “If you think about it, we’ll still get to have them quite a lot that we’re going to want them off our backs by the next fall.”

Brienne laughed and kissed him back, this time on the lips. Jaime hummed in approval and kept her lips fused to his by catching her by the nape. As their kiss deepened, he whispered, “Wife, how hungry are you?”

She glanced at their food then back at his obvious erection. Her eyes sparkled. “Dessert comes first but I’m getting the main course right after. No delaying tactics, Lannister.” She returned the lids on the plates but pointed at the teapot. “That’s not really good when cold, though.”

Jaime nodded solemnly. “I swear, on my honour, to be quick about it. Let it not be said that my lady perished from hunger in my arms.”

She gave him a smile that was brighter than the ones she had been wearing lately. The old sparkle in her had returned too. Smiling back, he pulled her down the bed with him. 

 

Brienne dropped a cube of sugar in her coffee then looked up. Falcon Club, the Grand Eyrie Hotel’s main restaurant hosted a growing crowd of both in-house guests and walk-ins for its breakfast buffet. Buffets were not really her thing but she thought it prudent to load up on food due to the long drive ahead of them. So she had ham in her plate, poached eggs, toast. On the table were small jars of blueberry and peach preserves, and a basket of chocolate and butter croissants. Jaime and Ty had brought her the croissants along with the butter and jams before they went back to the buffet table to make their own selections. Knowing how much they can put away in one meal, she wouldn’t be surprised if they returned with at least a couple of plates. 

They didn’t disappoint. Jaime and Ty wore identical, dimpled grins, though her husband’s had more lines. They sat down flanking her, both stretching their long legs as if getting ready for a serious workout. Brienne cocked her eyebrow at the food in their plate. Bacon, of course, ham, muffins, eggs. Ty had something that looked like spinach quiche in his plate. Jaime had—

Frowning, Brienne made a face. “Are those _kidneys?”_

Jaime grinned and spread the napkin on his lap with flourish. He kissed her on the lips and said, “It sure is.”

He laughed at her grimace and at Ty who was also making a face. “What? Kidneys are very nutritious and insanely good. You should try it.”

“No, thank you.” Brienne told him, spreading blueberry preserve on her toast.

Ty helped himself to some cream, pouring it in his coffee. Brienne smiled at him and had to resist putting an arm around his shoulders.   
She supposed that mothers would always think of her children as the best persons around—angels no matter what mischief they got into. She didn’t have favourites but there was always a child who could be considered extra-special. That was Ty.

His brothers and sisters inherited Jaime’s outgoing nature. It wasn’t that Ty was shy but he was more comfortable among people he knew, and that was a small circle. Even his interests were of solitary pursuit—reading, photography, sketching. He kept to himself and seemed happier like this. He was like her in that aspect but when it came to the sarcasm and wit he unleashed when with family and close friends, she was reminded of Jaime.

Brienne had learned a long time ago not to worry about Ty. He had given her no cause to do so but college was different. She worried that people wouldn’t understand him. She feared he’d get mixed with the wrong crowd. At least Drew had his hockey so the team was an easy base for friendship. Bookish sorts like Ty didn’t find their crowd easily—she would know. Jon Snow and Renly Baratheon were the only friends she still had from school. Those at the varsity team drifted away when her knee injury kissed her dreams goodbye. 

Ty had a few friends from the high school paper but he did not really mingle with them unless he had to. He had some close friends from the History Club but that was it. He purposefully and willingly kept to himself. 

Brienne glanced at her son and felt nothing but pride and love. He was a brave lad, really, to be as sure of himself as he was now and not have a problem with it. She just hoped he would have a system of support outside of family. He was right to tall Jaime that he would be alone, really alone, for the first time. He was right to be scared. Brienne was scared too yet her they were, having a heavy breakfast for the long drive ahead of them.

They planned the route. From the Eyrie to Oldtown was a twelve-hour drive, including the stops they would be making. They wouldn’t be arriving at Oldtown late in the evening, then they would be driving for another three hours to Hightower University. After dropping off Ty, Jaime and Brienne would head to the airport, leaving their rental for the car company to pick up as arranged. King’s Landing was a five-hour flight, a lot faster than how they have been traveling in the last few days. They were anxious to return to their children, who were being looked after by the ever-reliable Taena and the grandfathers, Tywin and Selwyn.

Jaime excused himself, dropping a hand on Brienne’s knee and kissing her softly on the lips before leaving. Brienne was pink as she gazed after him before turning to Ty. Ty’s bright blue eyes were soft.

“Drew and I used to joke that you and Dad always went at each other as if we weren’t there,” he said. “It’s only lately that I’m realizing that it’s not really the case. You and Dad. . .well, it’s like you’ve always been together. And you’re still totally into each other.”

“Not all the time,” Brienne had to say to fight the blush creeping up the side of her neck. “There are times when I came this close to killing your father.” She emphasized it by spacing her thumb and forefinger only an inch apart. Ty laughed.

“But I guess,” she continued, “despite your father taking some sick pleasure in riling me up, at the heart of it is we like and enjoy each other. We don’t really have much in common but we always have respect and don’t take each other for granted. We know that to have the life we have requires some sacrifices.”

“I know parents do that but I’ve never seen either of you feel or look. . .a little put-out.”

“I guess sacrifices are things that you don’t want to do but do it anyway. Jaime and I seem to have figured out how to let go of certain things without much resistance. But it boils down to what we want. We want our family to be happy,” she said, brushing a pale blond cowlick from his eyebrow. “We want time with our children. We also want time with each other and never have to worry much about putting food on the table. Remember a few years back when LSM Creatives opened an office in Braavos and your Dad was often home late?”

Ty nodded. 

“That wasn’t easy. He had things he wanted to do with his career and I was also advancing in mine. We knew right from the beginning that we weren’t around much anymore. You guys were seeing more of Taena rather than us. Your father and I talked. I was on my second term as department chair and he wanted to expand LSM Creatives. I did not want that administrative position at all but it’s the natural course of a teaching career. I didn’t want it but I was still proud. We talked about what we’ve noticed, how we’re not so clear with our priorities anymore. So we made a promise: when he was done with Braavos, he was going to cut back on the work and just oversee. I also said my second term was going to be the last. So you see, to be where we are, it isn’t just a matter of being into each other but willing to work with each other. And because we’re clear with what we want and what it entails to get it, it makes it easier to let go of what some people might be resistant about.”

“I guess things are a little easier now that Drew and Ty are off your hands, right, Mom?” Ty said, grinning.

Brienne shook her head and put a hand on her cheek. “Sweetheart, it’s just a matter of geography but we’re going to be more of nervous wreck than before.”

Ty held her hand to his cheek and they smiled at each other.

“You don’t have to worry about us.”

“Can’t help it. That’s what parents are wired to do.”

“You should get yourself fixed.”

Brienne laughed, a warm, happy sound that Ty hadn’t heard from her in days. She removed her hand from his cheek and finished her coffee.

Ty kept looking at her. He took in her the pale, blond wisps of her hair fluttering around her cheeks, the tips teasing her nape. His mother always had messy hair and his father delighted in teasing her about it. But for Ty, she was perfect.

He looked at her hands, long-fingered and wide. Brienne liked to touch them on the cheek, from their father to Alysanne. It was a touch they all knew. It was home and love. 

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I’m really going to miss you.” 

Brienne put down her coffee cup and looked at him, biting her lip.

Ty cleared his throat. “I mean, I’m going to miss Brightroar too, so don't get worked up about it—“

“Oh, shut up.” Brienne snorted and opened her arms. Ty chuckled and threw himself there, hugging her tight. Something wet hit his shoulder and as he turned his head to tease his Mom, she growled, "You'll stay as you are, young man, if you know what's good for you."


	4. Goodbye Part 2

Brienne woke up to the muffled swoosh of the shower from behind the bathroom door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretching her other arm as she did. As she twisted and stretched across the bed, the door opened. Jaime, wearing a robe and rubbing his still-thick hair vigorously with the towel, grinned at the show she was unintentionally putting on for him. A familiar but welcome twitch began below his stomach.

Finished, she turned on her side and that was when she saw him. A warm, pink wave swept through her but she made no move to cover her nude body completely. She would be fifty next month and had given the man approaching her with that sexy smirk six children. She had nothing to hide, no more to be modest about. Still, no flesh-and-blood woman wouldn’t respond as she did with the way he was looking at her, all-knowing with a hint of naughty devilry. She moved aside so he could join her.

They had arrived late and exhausted. After seeing Ty off in his room across from their suite, Jaime and Brienne just about managed to remove their wrinkled, travel-worn clothes before collapsing in bed. A few hours later, suddenly wide awake, Brienne found herself easily moving in the dark, her hand landing gently on his shoulder. Jaime must have been awake for some time too because he was quick to turn to her. They were stiff and still tired but Brienne was desperate for the feel of her husband inside her. She couldn’t explain it. She just needed him that way at that moment. He shared the sentiment because he entered her immediately. She wasn’t very wet and he growled she shouldn’t be that tight anymore. They fucked twice before falling asleep again.

 

There was the scent of sweat and fucking in the air, faint but detectable. Now that she was rested, Brienne felt how dusty and sticky she was. But Jaime said nothing as she cuddled against him. In fact, he held her tighter.

Brienne parted the panels of his robe and pressed random kisses around his damp chest. She nuzzled her nose against the silver curls there, licked his nipples. There it was again. The aching hollowness that could only be filled by Jaime. She rose to her knees, kissing him on the lips before she untied the belt of his robe. Her swollen lips fell open at the sight of his cock. She stared at him, blushing even more.

Jaime, still lying on his back and just stroking her arms and thighs, shrugged and said, “You know that happens when I’m around you, wife.”  
She smiled and took him by hand. Jaime arched his back, his fingers digging in her thighs as she slowly lowered herself toward the hard column of his flesh. She was still lubricated from their earlier fucking but it still required a few pumps before he was all in. They gasped together. He was warm, thick and just _amazing._

_“Oh. Jaime.”_

With Jaime inside her, his hands and lips on her body, she could get lost, forget about what this day held. His eyes were glazed and she drowned in the depths of his emeralds. 

She was quick to come, Jaime making a grunt of protest because he was still furiously pumping up inside her. Her inner muscles tightened mercilessly around him, drawing a strangled groan from him. Her hips picked up, riding him as if their lives depended on the promised release. Right now, it felt like it did.

Limp and sweating a few minutes later, Jaime drawled, “Wife, do you intend for us to fuck until we’re boneless and can’t drive?” 

Blushing, Brienne hid her face against his chest. “I don’t want to leave, Jaime.”

He sighed and hugged her. His lips traced her forehead. She could weep at his tenderness. “I’m not ready.”

“Neither am I.”

She raised her head and looked at him. Kind, emerald eyes stared back at her.

“I thought it wouldn’t be so hard today.”

“I know, Brienne. I know.” He tucked her hair behind her ears, gently touched her cheeks.

She leaned into his touch. “Why won’t the pain stop?”

“I don’t believe it’s going to completely stop.” Jaime thumbed the corner of her lips. “After all, today is just the beginning of when they leave. This is only college. Imagine when they move elsewhere for jobs. Imagine when they get married.” As Brienne felt her heart break at the truth of his words, Jaime continued, “They’ll still come home but they won’t stay anymore, you get what I mean?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Brienne groaned, returning her head on his chest. 

Jaime had painted a beautiful picture, actually. She had no trouble seeing her sons successful in their chosen fields, married and with their own families. But this sadness had got to stop. If it will stop.

“It’s going to be alright, Brienne. They’ll be better than we expect them to be.” She nodded as Jaime spoke. “They always are.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Jaime kissed her. They held each other until it was time.

 

Winterfell University was gray and had a forbidding quality even when drenched in the sun. Hightower University was the kind that belonged in a catalogue. Clear, blue skies greeted the Lannisters as they drove into the campus. The structures were an eclectic mix of sleek, modern architecture with stately, red-bricked buildings. Wherever they looked it seemed a page from a catalogue come alive: laughing students throwing a Frisbee, students smiling and greeting each other. Brienne glanced behind her to see Ty looking at these quietly. His face betrayed nothing but his eyes were bright with anticipation.

She turned her attention back to the front and Jaime caught her gaze. He put a hand on her knee and squeezed it. She nodded, understanding that he meant to reassure her, patient as always. Then she spread the small guide map of the campus.

“According to this, we have to turn right in front of White Bull center and drive straight ahead. Baelor Hall is at the end of it.” This was going to be Ty’s dorm.

“This is so much better than Winterfell,” Ty marveled.

“Better not let Drew hear that,” Jaime advised, turning right as Brienne instructed.

From there, it was only a short drive. They had to park some distance because of the cars and students crowding the way. They swung out of the car, blond and striking under the sun. Heads immediately turned toward them. Mothers and young female students smiled upon seeing Jaime and Ty. Then Brienne wrapped her hand around Jaime’s and the smiles halved. Unaware of the attention they were attracting, they went on with unloading Ty’s things from the trunk.

He didn’t have much. Two suitcases, with one for his books and his laptop bag slung across his chest. Brienne felt tears pricking her eyes again. Even Jaime kept clearing his throat.

Ty stood before them, looking tall and strong. He was clearly excited—he could barely restrain the wide grin that longed to split across his face. He wore a blue shirt that was the exact colour of his eyes, worn denims, black sneakers. 

Brienne realized that it was close to the outfit he had worn to his very first day of school. Instead of a t-shirt, he wore a sweater, brand-new jeans, black sneakers. She had cried, swallowing the sobs swelling in her throat as she hugged him tight and whispered he only had to tell his teacher if he wanted Mommy to get him early. She hugged the boys, holding them tight to her chest. 

“Mommy loves you.” She whispered, kissing their beautiful blond heads.

Drew gave her a quick kiss on the lips then ran off. Ty smiled at her and said, “I love you too, Mommy.”

Then he turned around and hurried to his brother, who was gesturing at him impatiently. Jaime put his arms around her waist from behind and she turned to hide her sniffles in his shirt. 

Now Ty was looking at them, torn between lingering and heading off to the next chapter of his young life.

Jaime held out his arm. “Come here. I don’t care that you’re some big man on campus, Ty. Give me a hug.”

Ty laughed and went to him. Brienne put a hand on her heart as she watched two of the most important men in her life hug. Gods. Drew and Ty were men now. No longer her babies. 

As soon as she realized that, the tears began to clear from her eyes. There was still a hollowness in her heart, painful. But she can believe that it will be okay someday. She and Jaime will be, she thought, her eyes softening as Jaime wrapped a hand around Ty’s nape. Father and son rested their foreheads against each other, grinning. 

“Not weirded out yet?” Jaime joked.

“In three seconds, Dad.” Ty said.

They hugged again. Jaime closed his eyes as he held him tight. “You take care. Promise me.”

Ty nodded, looking serious. “You have my word.”

Then it was Brienne’s turn. She embraced him, tightly of course, but without the worry and anxiety plaguing her for weeks. Ty pressed his face against her shoulder.

“I love you,” she whispered, ruffling his hair. “We will always love you. No matter what, Ty.”

Ty, still in her arms, nodded and hugged her closer.

“Should you need us we’ll be here. No matter the time.” 

“I know, Mom. Thanks.” 

They pulled away from each other. Brienne drank in the sight of him. Blond hair pale like hers, her sapphire eyes. Jaime’s face. Their baby boy all grown up. Their son. A man, at last.

Brienne put her hand on his smooth cheek and kissed him. Ty held her hand there for a moment and nodded.

“I love you, Mom. And thanks for everything.” He looked around them and nodded at her. “This is all you. You and Dad.”

Then they hugged again, all three of them together, for the last time.

Ty turned and walked away, unencumbered by his bags. He cut across the path, immediately drawing friendly smiles and curious glances.   
Jaime and Brienne leaned against the car, watching. They stayed there until Ty turned around and waved goodbye. Then he disappeared inside the building.

The entire universe seemed to fall silent a second after that. Then Brienne let out a breath. As did Jaime. Once again they heard laughter and excited chatter.

Jaime's hand climbed to her shoulders and she pulled it so she could slid her fingers through his. He kissed her on the cheek then they looked at each other in the eye.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’ll be better. You?”

He smiled. “Likewise.”

She turned so she they could embrace. She sighed, finding a kind of calmness that had eluded her for weeks. They had done it. Sent off their sons to college and towards the rest of their lives.

“Husband?” 

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of J/B fics in this Modern-AU series written a while ago. I'm uploading them now because I won't be updating for quite a while. I hope you like my exploration of Jaime and Brienne as parents sending off their darling boys to college. And also still having hot but angsty sex! At least, I hope you find it hot. 
> 
> Cheers.


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